Transport Formats in UMTS

Transport Formats in UMTS Radio Network Controllers Software Implementation
Seminaariesitelm / Jukka Valtanen / 08.01.2008
1 Nokia Siemens Networks

Introduction
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3G network structure logical channels / transport channels / physical channels data transmission between the physical (L1) and data link (L2) layer transport format set (TFS) / transport format combination set (TFCS) RNC software architecture / program block under investigation current implementation / analysis / improvements / further changes testing process / testing methods / testing environment test cases / analysis / improvements / results
UTRA radio interface protocol architecture

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Transport formats
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Transport format implementation in the RNC

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Testing of transport formats in RNC software

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Discussion and conclusion

Introduction - 3G network structure (1/2)
3G networks offer
wide range of advanced services constantly growing network capacity, shorter delay times and higher bit rates seamless mobility and inter-working with the existing GSM/GPRS networks
Need for resource optimisation from all underlying network components
GSM = Global System for Mobile Communications GPRS = General Packet Radio Service
3 Nokia Siemens Networks Seminaariesitelm / Jukka Valtanen / 08.01.2008

Introduction - 3G network structure (2/2)
CN = Core Network RNC = Radio Network Controller UE = User Equipment UMTS = Universal Mobile Telecommunications System UTRAN = UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network
The RNC is a service access point for all services that UTRAN provides the core network. It owns and controls radio resources in its domain, i.e. Node Bs connected to it.

UTRA radio interface protocol architecture (1/3)
3GPP TS 25.201 Physical layer - general description version 7.3.0 Release 7(2007-06)

Physical channels: layer 1 communication streams (frequency, scrambling etc.) 5 dedicated UL channels and 1 common UL channel 4 dedicated DL channels and 10 common DL channels Logical channels: a service offered by the physical layer (L1) to the MAC how and with what characteristics data is transferred 2 dedicated channels (DCH, E-DCH) 5 common channels (BCH, FACH, PCH, RACH, HSDSCH) the RNC deals with transport channels
Transport channels:
a service provided by the MAC layer to higher layers for which purpose and what type of data is transferred 6 control channels Enhanced channels DCH = Dedicated Channel E-DCH = 3 trafficDedicated Channel BCH = Broadcast Channel
FACH = Forward Access Channel PCH = Paging Channel RACH = Random Access Channel HS-DSCH = High Speed Downlink Shared Channel

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Mapping of transport channels onto physical channels

Transport formats (1/3)
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Data transfer between MAC and PHY is organised by the transmission of transport blocks.
One transport block belongs to one transport channel Several transport blocks can be sent simultaneously transport block set Transmission Time Interval (TTI) defines the time interval between two subsequent transport block set transfers between MAC and PHY

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Transport Format (TF)

Defines the characteristics of a transport channel Specifies the physical layer processing to be applied to the channel Controls how much data is transferred during one TTI and how the data is coded etc. by the physical layer Semi-static part and dynamic part
Transport Format Set (TFS)

The set of transport formats associated to a transport channel Enables variable data rates (multiple parameter sets)
TTI = Transmission Time Interval CRC = Cyclic Redundancy Check TB = Transport Block

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Transport Format Combination Set (TFCS)

Several transport channels can be multiplexed together The set of transport format combinations of currently valid transport formats
TFI = Transport Format Indicator TFCI = Transport Format Combination Indicator

Transport format implementation in the RNC (1/3)
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The RNC consists of several different hardware and software layers

System blocks, service blocks and program blocks
One particular program block was investigated in Radio Resource Management (RRM) area
Completely new program block, a result of a major architectural change Responsible for RRM related tasks and Layer 3 signalling inside the RNC Interfaces to a couple of other program blocks and RNCs internal database Performs TFS and TFCS calculation for one Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection
RRC connection setup State transition from Cell_FACH to Cell_DCH RAB establishment / modification / release SRNC relocation Compressed mode activation / deactivation
RAB = Radio Access Bearer SRNC = Serving Radio Network Controller


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TFS calculation is performed in one code module (Module 6)

For each DCH separately, both uplink and downlink direction Based on DCH type and maximum bit rates HSDPA and HSUPA not considered here (TF calculation in the Node B) Maximum of 8 simultaneous DCHs Own internal procedures for calculating the different parts of the TFS
TFCS calculation is performed in another code module (Module 7)

Calculation is based on current DCH list and their TFS parameters Calculated Transport Format Combination (CTFC) is a tool for efficient signalling of transport format combinations (3GPP TS 25.331) UE-capability is taken into account and it may also set limitations to TFCS Generally more complex than TFS calculation
DCH = Dedicated Channel HSDPA = High Speed Downlink Packet Access HSUPA = High Speed Uplink Packet Access

o o o o o o o o
The implementation has been ported from the old architectural solution, dates back to year 2002 and 2003 Originally 3500 code lines in Module 6 and 4000 code lines in Module 7 Deploys global data structures, problems with information hiding Now the code was fully inspected and improved Lots of commentary lines were added, code optimisation was done and obsolete code was removed also minor bugs were corrected The implementation still deploys global data structures and clumsy data conversions that could (and should) be improved More profound changes and a complete re-design are still possible The software is under constant state of change code maintainability and proper testing is important

Testing of transport formats in RNC software (1/2)
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The product and all program blocks are tested in separate phases
Module testing (the focus in the thesis)
integrated part of design and implementation new functionalities should be verified as soon as possible regression testing after major corrections or other changes in later phases should be thorough (code coverage), repeatable, well maintainable and automatic
Integration and load testing Functional testing System testing

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Testing methods
Black box testing: no insight into the code itself, based on inputs and outputs White box testing: system state can be observed, more complicated Hybrid test strategies

Testing of transport formats in RNC software (2/2)
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Windows workstation + RNC software emulator + definition database 47 initial test cases were prepared for TFS and TFCS features
mainly different kind of RAB setup scenarios other TFS/TFCS calculation scenarios use the same procedures inputs sent to the program block calculation output data verified
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Test cases were inspected and analysed for code coverage properties During the thesis work, a need for some changes was discovered
10 test cases updated 6 totally new test cases designed all 53 test cases finally passed, no bugs found in later testing phases
Designed test case set will remain as an essential part of normal regression testing of the program block

Discussion and conclusion (1/1)
o o o o o o o o o
Transport formats are applied in the data exchange between the physical layer and the data link layer Transport formats enable variable bit rates and multiplexing of services The theory is largely based on 3GPP specifications, but manufacturer specific implementations enable efficient usage of radio resources The program code of a program block in RRM area was inspected and analysed Code maintainability was improved and minor bugs were corrected Testing of TFS and TFCS functionalities was carried out, a test case set was designed and the related code was found to be fully functional Used testing methods were considered to be applicable The observed features are now fully tested in module level testing The obtained results will act as a reference for any future improvements

Thank you!

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Transport Formats in UMTS Radio Network Controllers Software Implementation

Seminaariesitelm / Jukka Valtanen / 08.01.2008

1 Nokia Siemens Networks

Seminaariesitelm / Jukka Valtanen / 08.01.2008